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Setting Realistic and Healthy New Year’s Goals

Ringing in the New Year inevitably brings about the desire to start fresh and make some resolutions. Some shy away from New Year’s resolution, often because they set goals that may not be within realistic reach given their current lifestyle. We’re not saying you shouldn’t reach high when it comes to your life aspirations, by all means reach for the stars! However, when it comes to goal setting it might make more sense to stay within reach of what you can truly accomplish in a set amount of time. While a year may seem like a long time, we all know that time goes by rather quickly. Just look at how quickly we flashed through the holidays!

So with this post, we’re focusing on ways you can set realistic goals this 2016 for a healthy, happy, and productive year.

1. Make a Short List of S.M.A.R.T Goals

This is a great start to goal setting. S.M.A.R.T goals equate to the following:

Specific: What do you want to achieve in your area of focus?

Meaningful: Why is this goal important to you?

Action Oriented: What steps will you take to achieve your goal?

Realistic: How do you know that you can achieve this goal?

Timely: By when do you want to achieve this goal?

We often set goals that are difficult to truly track or measure. Some examples of this might be, “I’m going to work out more“, or “I’m going to eat healthier.” These are great goals, but there’s no plan of action of exactly what you’ll do to make it happen or achieve it. By making your goals S.M.A.R.Tyou’re giving yourself an understanding of what it’ll take to get to truly get there. Here are some S.M.A.R.T goals in contrast to the ones above:

Not S.M.A.R.T. = “I’m going to work out more this year”
vs.
S.M.A.R.T. = “I’m going to commit to working out 3 days a week, for at least 30 minutes per session for the next 6 months.”

OR

Not S.M.A.R.T. = “I’m going to eat healthier.”
vs.
S.M.A.R.T. = “I’m going to eat at least one leafy green or vegetable with my lunch and dinner over the next 3 months.” or “I’m not going to eat any sweets for at least one month.”

By keeping your goals S.M.A.R.T. you’re setting hard, measurable targets that require action and provide an end result of whether or not you actually met those goals.

2. Maybe Commit to Doing a Little Less of Something

We’re a time starved society. We often say, “I’m going to do [blank]” or “I really need to start [blank]“, but we honestly have so many things on our plate, which could be the very reason we haven’t committed to starting anything new. Perhaps if you commit to doing a little less of something you can actually make room for something you truly want to do. A good example might be, “I’m not going to check my [email, social media, etc.] right before bed” or “I’m not going to drink coffee in the afternoons this month.” By cutting certain unnecessary actions out of our lives, we might just make room for some much needed downtime or quality time with family and friends.

3. Set Realistic Goals

Set realistic goals, as opposed to something you won’t stick to — that’s the slippery slope! We’ll often commit to an unrealistic goal (with the best of intention), inevitably break it, and then just give up because we feel like we’ve failed. An example of this might be, “I’m going to get a massage at least once a week!” Awesome goal, but is it realistic to expect that of yourself and your budget? A more realistic goal might be, “I’m going to commit to getting a massage once a month over the next 3 months.”

4. Make One Goal a Selfless Act

Lastly, we’d like to suggest making at least one of your New Year’s goals a selfless one. It’s important to give back. It feeds our soul and provides us with a sense of humility and balance. Once again, though, keep it simple and realistic. If making a donation to a cause you believe in is all you have time for, then make that the goal. A S.M.A.R.T way to accomplish this might be to pick the charity, determine the amount you’d like to donate, set a deadline for your donation, do it, then check it off your list!

What are your New Year’s goals for 2016? We’d love to hear about it.

And from everyone at Sage Health, we wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

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Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness. We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024. Email: health@sagehealthonline.com | PH: 760.753.2157